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Is Real Vanilla Worth It?

You can answer the question with your anecdotes or just discuss if you were turned on by the way he sniffed the pancakes?

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by Anonymousreply 101March 19, 2023 1:59 AM

šŸš« Not in my world.

by Anonymousreply 1March 16, 2023 2:57 AM

He sniffs cookies too!

by Anonymousreply 2March 16, 2023 3:01 AM

[quote] Is Real Vanilla Worth It?

Maybe in 1985. Word to your muthaā€™.

by Anonymousreply 3March 16, 2023 3:05 AM

I can afford it.

Why would I settle for anything else?

It is a flavor and taste perfume.

A simple luxury.

by Anonymousreply 4March 16, 2023 3:08 AM

Itā€™s only worth it when vanilla is the feature flavor, like a vanilla custard. To add to a chocolate chip cookie or a cake, feh. I am the hugest snob, but I get a big old bottle of imitation vanilla at Target for less than a dollar and itā€™s fine for most things.

by Anonymousreply 5March 16, 2023 3:12 AM

Food scientists discovered several years back that pure vanilla (at least the extracts) is a waste of money in baked goods. Apparently the major parts of pure vanilla extract is completely burned away in the baking process and they said imitation vanilla was perfectly okay. Out of curiosity I tested it out. I got some imitation extract and used it in a pound cake. I can concur, there was no noticeable difference in taste. Last year I started making my own extract and I've got enough to last for years. I do still use the imitation stuff when I make vanilla milkshakes. I'm not wasting the good stuff on that.

by Anonymousreply 6March 16, 2023 3:18 AM

Yes.

by Anonymousreply 7March 16, 2023 3:21 AM

Cooks Illustrated/ATK did a thorough test and said that, especially in baked goods, there was no appreciable difference between the two. Their choice for imitation vanilla was Baker's.

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by Anonymousreply 8March 16, 2023 3:22 AM

BTW, the Baker's, which used to be under a buck (for 8 oz.) is now $1.46 at Walmart.

by Anonymousreply 9March 16, 2023 3:29 AM

r5, I LOVE Cook's Cookie Vanilla. A vanilla blended for baking.

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by Anonymousreply 10March 16, 2023 5:10 AM

I recently decided to make my own hazelnut creamer because it seemed like a fun thing to do. My local market didn't have the hazelnut extract I needed. I looked it up on Amazon, and a 4 oz bottle costs between $10 and $25. No, thank you.

by Anonymousreply 11March 16, 2023 7:18 AM

Add 1 teaspoon of [italic]good[/italic] vanilla extract.

by Anonymousreply 12March 16, 2023 7:41 AM

R6 I think you could use the real vanilla in a milkshake since you're not baking it. I bet it would taste better.

by Anonymousreply 13March 16, 2023 8:01 AM

There's no reason to be putting vanilla in pancakes.

by Anonymousreply 14March 16, 2023 8:50 AM

Yes, you add vanilla to pancake batter.

by Anonymousreply 15March 16, 2023 8:53 AM

Never. I have never added vanilla to pancake batter, nor have I heard of anyone doing so. They aren't a dessert.

by Anonymousreply 16March 16, 2023 8:56 AM

@r14, Why not if you like it? Vanilla used to be really cheap in Mexico. Years ago I went to Tijuana with a group of friends, my one buddy bought a quart of vanilla. He didn't even cook, but it was such a good deal he had to buy it. On the way back to the train he dropped this quart on the sidewalk. Vanilla everywhere. Tijuana never smelled so good šŸ™‚

by Anonymousreply 17March 16, 2023 8:59 AM

pan CAKE.

by Anonymousreply 18March 16, 2023 9:36 AM

What about vanilla paste?

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by Anonymousreply 19March 16, 2023 10:18 AM

R16, agree!

I use it in Dutch baby (with lots of nutmeg) and waffles, though.

by Anonymousreply 20March 16, 2023 10:20 AM

R18 you put syrup on them because they are not sweet. Originally they were served with applesauce and sour cream.

R20 Dutch Babies are supposed to be dusted with powdered sugar, certainly not the same thing. Waffles, too.

by Anonymousreply 21March 16, 2023 10:22 AM

Thanks, R8. The Cook's Illustrated/ATK results confirm my experience and assumption. Where I live a twin packet of vanilla pods is about a fiver, so not bad: I can use one pod and the other is good until the next time I need one. The extract of pure vanilla, though, is quite pricey.

Unless it's a recipe of some delicacy or where vanilla is the star, I use a bottle of the imitation stuff.and it seems fine.

by Anonymousreply 22March 16, 2023 10:38 AM

R16 therefore, it has NEVER happened in the history of the world.

by Anonymousreply 23March 16, 2023 10:42 AM

Iā€™d like to do non-vanilla things to the guy in the video.

by Anonymousreply 24March 16, 2023 10:59 AM

R16 - maybe the reason you never heard of anyone doing so is because you never asked the right people.

by Anonymousreply 25March 16, 2023 11:04 AM

He's hot R24 and in a recent video, appears topless.

by Anonymousreply 26March 16, 2023 11:04 AM

Link please R26

by Anonymousreply 27March 16, 2023 11:08 AM

Because Iā€™m really careful with carbs and sweets, I only bake once in a while. But when I do, I try to use the best quality ingredients. So I use our vanilla extract and tried a few brands, including a brand called Nielsen-Massey, sold by cooking stores. Right now Iā€™m using up a large bottle of standard McKormick pure vanilla that I bought from a cooking supply company through Amazon as a third party distributor. Itā€™s fine.

Somewhat unrelated, I tried a recipe form a YouTube presenter named Chloe Saffitz. I made a batch of Blondies with butterscotch shards baked into them. There was a link to the videoā€™s sponsor, Helala Vanilla, but I found the cost of their products prohibitive. Over $250 for ā€œbundlesā€ of extract, paste & vanilla beans. The link offered a 20% discount, but that cost is still too high. I visited their site a few weeks ago and saw items deeply discounted and sold in less expensive forms, but you pay nearly $20 per ounce. I see now that the products are even more deeply discounted, 55% markdown on some bundles of paste, extract and a tube of ā€œchefā€™s blendā€flavored paste. I might try their extract.

Vanilla is such a crazy delicious flavor I often double it in recipes that include it. It reminds me of being a small kid and smelling the bottle of it before some holiday, and that scent puts me right back in the kitchen of the little farmhouse where I was born. Itā€™s so good.

by Anonymousreply 28March 16, 2023 11:52 AM

Wilton clear vanilla flavor is the best. A strong, clear sweet vanilla aroma. It's artificial. Its perfect. It's $5 for a 4 oz/120 ml bottle. You can use half as much as natural vanilla in your recipes. You buy it at hobby stores or pro shops or at Walmart in the crafts section not the baking section. If you combine it with a bit of McCormick not Wilton butter flavor, your stuff will taste like it came from a bakery.

by Anonymousreply 29March 16, 2023 12:02 PM

Whole Foods 360 brand has a vanilla that's not super expensive, but doesn't have that odd chemically smell of cheap vanilla. I feel the same way - I don't bake a lot but when I do, I want to use good ingredients.

by Anonymousreply 30March 16, 2023 12:07 PM

[quote]Somewhat unrelated, I tried a recipe form a YouTube presenter named Chloe Saffitz.

Claire! And she's a best-selling author, not just some lady on YouTube videos.

I watch Claire's stuff all the time and I don't remember a promotional for Helala Vanilla, which seems weird from her, considering all the time she's spent talking about making her own vanilla extract.

by Anonymousreply 31March 16, 2023 12:07 PM

I glanced at her channel r28 and she does include a paid promotional for Heilala Vanilla, which is a boutique brand that was started as an aid program for the Kingdom of Tonga after a cyclone 20 years ago. I guess that makes sense, a little, but in her other videos (earlier ones in her apartment, not the country house) she talks a lot about making her own vanilla. I wouldn't have expected her to shill for vanilla.

by Anonymousreply 32March 16, 2023 12:12 PM

Who is the NO VANILLA IN PANCAKES troll? I am enjoying your breakdown as I eat my vanilla-infused pancakes this morning.

by Anonymousreply 33March 16, 2023 12:15 PM

R17, Mexican vanilla often contains coumarin, as they often sub a different plant similar to vanilla bean plants. Coumarin is related to blood thinners. IIRC, mexican vanilla beans absorb contaminants from the soil, which is sort of third world loaded with chemicals and poisons.

by Anonymousreply 34March 16, 2023 12:17 PM

I think the beans I use are from Madagascar.

I keep the empty pods for sticking into sugar.

by Anonymousreply 35March 16, 2023 12:20 PM

Pretty sure our first world soil is also loaded with chemicals and poisons, r34.

by Anonymousreply 36March 16, 2023 12:21 PM

Here ya go R27

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by Anonymousreply 37March 16, 2023 12:28 PM

I think so

by Anonymousreply 38March 16, 2023 12:31 PM

Real vanilla behind the ears, nape of the neck, and on your cooch.

Men cannot resist!

Also, make your own with Everclear. I just drink the Everclear.

by Anonymousreply 39March 16, 2023 12:32 PM

I like the real vanilla..have a bottle of it. I don't use it much, except when making pancakes or baked food, which is rare. It lasts a very long time, so that makes up for the cost. I also buy pure Vermont maple syrup...buy it online. I use that often. It's worth it to me and these are small luxuries that I treat myself.

by Anonymousreply 40March 16, 2023 12:55 PM

My neighbor in Paris would sprinkle vanilla sugar on sliced strawberries and let them macerate in that sweet concoction. It was delicious. I think people also add a splash of kir sometimes. So good.

by Anonymousreply 41March 16, 2023 1:16 PM

Pancakes are, basically, a dessert that you eat for breakfast. I don't see anything wrong with adding vanilla.

Dutch baby, French toast, crepes: If served with powdered sugar, sweet syrups, and/or fruits ... they are basically desserts.

by Anonymousreply 42March 16, 2023 1:19 PM

I tried to make my own vanilla extract....using real vanilla beans and vodka. I left the concoction in small bottles....sitting for a few months. It was ok...but not as good as store bought real vanilla. It seemed easy enough, but it wasn't the same.

by Anonymousreply 43March 16, 2023 1:21 PM

There's vanilla "paste," which sounds interesting, IMO.

by Anonymousreply 44March 16, 2023 1:26 PM

That does sound good..^^

by Anonymousreply 45March 16, 2023 1:28 PM

Vanilla paste is good stuff!

R43, Iā€™ve tried it and feel the same way you do.

by Anonymousreply 46March 16, 2023 1:32 PM

R33 Me, and you can keep your tacky personal proclivities to yourself.

by Anonymousreply 47March 16, 2023 1:39 PM

It's stronger than extract and still contains crushed beans. Preferred for applications where too much liquid causes problems, like meringues and custards.

by Anonymousreply 48March 16, 2023 1:41 PM

It was an interesting, informative and well organised video. Thanks OP.

by Anonymousreply 49March 16, 2023 1:42 PM

That's right, R6 & R8, because of the Cooks Illustrated article, I purchase Baker's Imitation Vanilla Flavor.

I sometimes use Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Bean Paste for certain things.

by Anonymousreply 50March 16, 2023 1:55 PM

I've never seen fake vanilla in the UK, only the extract, but I had heard that a lot of US goods that are vanilla flavoured use a chemical derived from wood pulp. Sounds fun but I think I'll stick to my Madagascan bean extract from Sainsbury's.

by Anonymousreply 51March 16, 2023 1:56 PM

Ooh Sainbury's, smell R51.

by Anonymousreply 52March 16, 2023 2:01 PM

My Goddess Ina Garten shows you how to make your own vanilla.

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by Anonymousreply 53March 16, 2023 2:02 PM

R53 Goddess is probably right. When I think of food media, Inaā€™s is the model to chase. Over the arc of time so many other food personalities have emerged, but almost all of them have dimmed or become something awful. Inaā€™s team still tests their recipes really rigorously and they all work in the way she presents them.

Her televised content has evolved and has perhaps the best lighting and sound, and sheā€™s still a modest yet delightful presence on camera. She must know herself really well to present her work with such precision and clarity.

Martha Stewart is telegenic, too (you hear every syllable she pronounces, you want each kitchen item she handles). Ina probably has the same cold pragmatism behind her brandā€™s identity and evolution, but I would somehow be less frightened of her if I ever had to deal with her in my work, or met her socially. The type of work I do presents that potential, so I think about it sometimes.

by Anonymousreply 54March 16, 2023 2:21 PM

R52, don't forget that Sainsbury's only exists to keep the riff-raff out of Waitrose. Apparently you can get it online worldwide, which is a little odd as you can't buy it from Sainsbury's any more, at least the last time I was in a branch 3 years ago, and where I live now it's Dr. Oetker vanilla extract or do without.

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by Anonymousreply 55March 16, 2023 2:34 PM

Yes, for things like frosting, icing, whipped cream, and frappes. For my matcha chai frappes, it's real vanilla all the way, and yes, you can tell the difference.

I have tried dozens of imitation flavoring, but my tried and true go-to is Adams. Perhaps because it gives great memories of my late mother's care packages she'd receive from her South Carolina family, or because it's really good. For decades Adams wasn't available where we lived, and Mama baked A LOT. And for things like candied sweet potatoes, cooked icing, sweet potato pie, poppy seed bread, she would use McCormick imitation if she didn't have Adams. Adams imitation extracts give big big value for the $$$$.

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by Anonymousreply 56March 16, 2023 2:54 PM

[quote] Martha Stewart is telegenic, too (you hear every syllable she pronounces, you want each kitchen item she handles). Ina probably has the same cold pragmatism behind her brandā€™s identity and evolution, but I would somehow be less frightened of her if I ever had to deal with her in my work, or met her socially. The type of work I do presents that potential, so I think about it sometimes.

You just know that if ever met Martha she wouldn't be all that friendly. There would be a cold, haughty, aloofness that would be coming out of Martha's pores. I still like her.

by Anonymousreply 57March 16, 2023 3:14 PM

When you go on a date, you put a little vanilla extract behind the ears.

by Anonymousreply 58March 16, 2023 3:35 PM

[quote] When you go on a date, you put a little vanilla extract behind the ears.

Were I to put a dab of vanilla extract behind the ears of my date, I'm quite sure there wouldn't be a second date.

by Anonymousreply 59March 16, 2023 3:39 PM

I said that already, r58.

by Anonymousreply 60March 16, 2023 3:42 PM

Does anyone put a little vanilla extract behind his ears when going out on a date?

by Anonymousreply 61March 16, 2023 3:44 PM

R61, yes, Granny did when she was courted.

by Anonymousreply 62March 16, 2023 4:20 PM

Trump's father, Fred, was such a cheap fuck, that his mother, Mary, had to resort to vanilla as perfume.

Said his niece, Mary, in her DSM-5 family memoir.

by Anonymousreply 63March 16, 2023 5:24 PM

R57, I met Martha Stewart once at a plant nursery in Portland a few years back. She was very pleasant, and asked questions about the plants I was planning to buy,

by Anonymousreply 64March 16, 2023 5:44 PM

[quote] Iā€™d like to do non-vanilla things to the guy in the video.

Me too, lots and lots of things

by Anonymousreply 65March 16, 2023 5:58 PM

I like to make my own London Fog tea lattes and it was getting expensive using the real stuff. I've been using the artificial for some time now and it's great. I'm sure there's a subtle difference but it doesn't justify the cost, especially if you use it regularly like I do.

by Anonymousreply 66March 16, 2023 8:50 PM

I only use Real Vanilla. I grow it in my garden.

I also use Pretty Litter, just like my friend Bryson.

by Anonymousreply 67March 16, 2023 9:32 PM

šŸ‹ I'm a Matcha-Matcha Man.

Hold the vanilla, and try a dash of ChocolƔtte.

by Anonymousreply 68March 16, 2023 9:39 PM

We put vanilla and cinnamon in our pancakes. So there.

by Anonymousreply 69March 17, 2023 2:14 AM

The vanilla sold in Tijuana was terrible.

by Anonymousreply 70March 17, 2023 2:15 AM

I use dirt. If it rains, then I use dirt paste, also known as mud.

by Anonymousreply 71March 17, 2023 2:19 AM

Red dirt paste, black dirt paste or gray dirt paste?

Do you rinse it?

by Anonymousreply 72March 17, 2023 2:36 AM

@r70, "The vanilla sold in Tijuana was terrible. "

It smelled good. Every once in awhile if the wind is coming from the south I still get a whiff of that Vanilla all over the sidewalk in Tijuana šŸ˜‰

- r17

by Anonymousreply 73March 17, 2023 2:43 AM

[quote]Is Vanilla Ice Really Worth Shit?

by Anonymousreply 74March 17, 2023 2:48 AM

I'm not opposed and will keep an eye out for Bakers Imitation, but I once bought an imitation vanilla that really ruined my cookies. It had terrible off-flavors that I suppose were added to try to mimic the subtle non-vanillin notes. Thanks, but if I'm using fake stuff, just a clean vanilla taste is fine.

by Anonymousreply 75March 17, 2023 3:33 AM

Vanillin should only be used in perfumes.

When I finish cooling a batch of cookies and fill up my Large Waterford Grafton Street Bolton Collection lidded canister, I put a few drops of vanilla into the canister to infuse the flavor. Works beautifully with sugar cookies and shortbread.

by Anonymousreply 76March 17, 2023 3:46 AM

Real vanilla isn't that expensive and lasts forever.

Unless you have a huge family, who go cheap?

by Anonymousreply 77March 17, 2023 7:31 AM

R57....I met her in a book signing. She was exactly as you described. I used to really like her, but not so much anymore. Her lifestyle is enviable...that's about it.

by Anonymousreply 78March 17, 2023 9:38 AM

*at a book signing...^^

by Anonymousreply 79March 17, 2023 9:39 AM

If a gay sniffs vanilla scented cookie but itā€™s imitation vanilla, is he any less gay?

by Anonymousreply 80March 17, 2023 9:52 AM

Yes, he is an inauthentic Log Cabinette only interested in cost.

by Anonymousreply 81March 17, 2023 12:19 PM

I go full Ina when I bake, which means the good vanilla (Nielsen-Massey), Kerrygold butter, King Arthur flour, organic cane sugar, Pete & Gerry eggs, etc. If you're making something with only a handful of ingredients, I think it is worth it to splurge.

by Anonymousreply 82March 17, 2023 1:34 PM

Whatever you do, don't ask Ina Garten.

by Anonymousreply 83March 17, 2023 1:52 PM

[quote] [R57]....I met her in a book signing. She was exactly as you described. I used to really like her, but not so much anymore. Her lifestyle is enviable...that's about it.

Hi, R78, I wrote R57 and forgot to sign it.

Yes, I have always really liked and admired herā€”and in many ways I still doā€”though in recent years my admiration has evolved into curiosity. Martha has worked very very hard to get where she is and to have as much as she has. And her accomplishments cannot be denied. But I don't think she's that nice, unfortunately. And she is not the first person I would look to for recipes, cod with tomato sauce and prunes notwithstanding.

by Anonymousreply 84March 17, 2023 6:06 PM

R84, I've heard the same thing about Ina. She can be snappish and downright rude. IMO both women are only human and have good days and bad ones like all of us. I have had to stop myself from being rude to a store clerk, or a waitress just because I was having an off day. There's an old saying I will probably mess up but it goes like this: Don't meet your idols in person, because you are very likely to be disappointed. I think Martha is amazing. But her personality doesn't necessarily invite familiarity. Ina may seem more accessible, and maybe she is in real life, but I have heard stories about her too. I love them both, but Ina just a bit more. She seems to have more zest!

by Anonymousreply 85March 17, 2023 6:19 PM

R55 suck a posh troll. Sainsburys sells fake vanilla.

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by Anonymousreply 86March 17, 2023 7:00 PM

True, R85. I suspect Ina is a nicer/easier person in general. She will always be haunted by her hard to understand refusal to meet the Make-a-Wish child who wanted to meet her.

by Anonymousreply 87March 17, 2023 7:01 PM

I once heard that Ina shut down a woman who asked why she never had children, and I can certainly understand that. It must be and feel so strange to be an open window, to have people feel they know you personally by consuming your products and media. I live in NYC where normally people respect boundaries with celebrities who are out and about, but not always. My sisters are pretty immature and will sometimes bother celebrities, ask for photos, say stupid things like ā€œoh my god! Youā€™re my sonā€™s favorite!ā€. When they tell me about it afterwards, I sometimes wince and think ā€œwhy do that?ā€. I feel bad when people photograph celebrities sleeping in planes or out with their kids. Not cool, impolite.

by Anonymousreply 88March 17, 2023 7:07 PM

I know we're talking about Vanilla, and we digressed to a sidebar discussion of Ina and Martha, but I just wanted to say that I have unfollowed Giada on Instagram. She's embarrassing. You may now continue.

I only shop at Sainsbury's in an emergency.

by Anonymousreply 89March 17, 2023 7:36 PM

r86, but Saintsbury provides the Brits ingredients for... British cooking.

And you link is broken.

by Anonymousreply 90March 17, 2023 8:38 PM

Yeah, R86, you link is broken.

by Anonymousreply 91March 17, 2023 8:50 PM

Not just kids, but Ina has no pets either. She seems like a control freak.

by Anonymousreply 92March 18, 2023 2:55 AM

R86 I'm afraid Sainsburys posh days are a distant memory. They do Aldi Price Match now.

Most don't have a fish counter, butcher or delicatessen either. The fresh bread arrives frozen and is baked baked (tanning shop) in-store.

Lidl offer more choice, it isn't always cheaper though.

by Anonymousreply 93March 18, 2023 3:15 AM

Somebody watered the vanilla.

by Anonymousreply 94March 18, 2023 4:09 AM

The British only know three vegetables, and two of them are cabbage!

by Anonymousreply 95March 18, 2023 4:13 AM

Yeah, unless you're the Duggars, I don't understand wanting to use imitation vanilla - in baked goods or in anything else. You're using a couple of teaspoons, at most, per recipe.

by Anonymousreply 96March 18, 2023 4:17 AM

You think Sainsbury's are posh R86?! They used to be a slightly more upmarket supermarket, but over the last decade they have become indistinguishable from the likes of Tesco and ASDA from what I can tell, maybe you lack standards and shop in Lidl?

And good spot on the fake vanilla, which is a special import, in the world food section and listed as "new", probably there for the ex-pat North Americans who want a taste of home. (Found a working link for you.)

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by Anonymousreply 97March 18, 2023 11:31 AM

[quote] I also use Pretty Litter, just like my friend Bryson.

Hahaha! I see that commercial on Dabl all the time.

Whatā€™s the deal with Bryson?

by Anonymousreply 98March 18, 2023 7:16 PM

I'll try again with the fake vanilla/Sainsbury page as an image. DL won't link to the webpage.

Here are some more (real, fake and other) vanilla facts:

Coca Cola convinced the FDA to allow vanilla created by bacterial fermentation to be called "natural vanilla" since it's a somewhat natural process. When Vanilla Coke was created in 2002, there was not enough natural vanilla available in the world to support production. They stopped making it for a few years until they got the fermentation process down, and Vanilla Coke returned in 2007.

Natural vanilla is difficult to grow and produce. From orchid blossom to hand-pollination to harvest and curing, it takes about a year and a half. Poaching of immature pods is common, leading to low-quality black market vanilla products. It takes about 3-5 years for the vanilla orchid to begin producing flowers and pods. The flowers must be pollinated with 12 hours of opening. It's fair to say that there are political reasons that one might not choose the natural stuff.

Tropical storms and political strife in the equatorial regions it is grown have reduced supplies for nearly a decade. Around 2017, supplies were so low that natural vanilla was retailing for $3/oz. Costco stopped selling it, and Sam's Club kept it in a locked cabinet. At that time, if you could find it, an 8 oz bottle sold for about $35, which comes to about 75Ā¢ a tsp.

Meanwhile, demand is increasing. Even Europeans use it now. When I lived in France, most French considered vanilla flavor to be quintessentially American, describing the flavor as excessively sweet and cloying, interfering with the other ingredients of baked goods. They have changed their minds apparently.

I shop in Mexico frequently and the use of coumarin/tonka as an adulterant is not done any longer. If it were it's likely Customs would ban its import even by individuals. However, most of the vanilla I find there is excessively weak and obviously adulterated with vanillin. Many shops sell so-called 'natural clear vanilla.' You can't make clear natural vanilla. The vanilla bean is dark brown and the color is intrinsic to its nature. These products are vanillin.

Vanillin has always been available internationally, even at Sainsbury's and in the UK. Dr. Oetker, a German company, sells it widely. It is high snobbery to think that only natural vanilla is acceptable. In professional taste tests, the fake stuff nearly always wins top honor. Vanillin keeps its flavor better during baking and storage. It is less variable than natural products. My baked goods - always with fake vanilla - have won awards at bake competitions and state fairs and even an Amish baking competition for the past 20 years.

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by Anonymousreply 99March 18, 2023 11:20 PM

As indicated by some above, I really love the smell and taste of high quality vanilla. It may be placebo, but I enjoy it unlike supermarket stuff.

Interestingly, a cooking store I go to explained the hike in vanilla prices. Apparently a couple of years ago there was a flood in Mexico and the price soared. Once it was determined that people were willing to pay such high prices, it didn't return to normal after the crops were replenished. I've tried paste but as an amateur, I probably used too much.

by Anonymousreply 100March 19, 2023 12:31 AM

I always buy the Mexican vanilla mix at the dollar store. I just use more of it.

by Anonymousreply 101March 19, 2023 1:59 AM
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